There's a famous story about Brad Marchand's exit meetings in Boston after his rookie season.
Throughout Marchand's draft process and early in his pro hockey career, he was often reminded of what he couldn't achieve. NHL teams believed he was too small (a 5-foot-9 forward was especially undersized as he was breaking in). Scouts said Marchand's skating wasn't good enough. NHL evaluators believed discipline was an issue. He was told his skill set probably didn't have a high ceiling.
Marchand, a third-round pick in 2006, got called up to the NHL for a 20-game stint in 2010.